Prospect Pool Have Been Devised As a Way of Bringing an Element Normally Found in Dynasty Leagues to Our Keeper League, in a Limited Fashion
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1 of 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preamble 3 Prospect Draft 4 Overview ___________________________________________________________________________________4 Format ______________________________________________________________________________________5 Eligibility ___________________________________________________________________________________5 Prospects ___________________________________________________________________________________5 Qualifying Offer ___________________________________________________________________________6 Control _____________________________________________________________________________________6 Total _________________________________________________________________________________________7 Transactions 7 Trading _____________________________________________________________________________________7 In-season _______________________________________________________________________________7 Off-season ______________________________________________________________________________7 Waivers, Offer Sheets, Downgrades ____________________________________________________7 Draft Order _________________________________________________________________________________8 Groups 9 GROUP I: Ungraduated Prospect _______________________________________________________9 GROUP II: Delayed Graduate ____________________________________________________________9 GROUP III: Qualified Graduate _________________________________________________________10 On NHL Roster _______________________________________________________________________10 Called Up ______________________________________________________________________________10 Not Called Up_________________________________________________________________________ 10 GROUP IV: Tagged Graduate ___________________________________________________________11 Added Prospect ___________________________________________________________________________11 2 PREAMBLE The primary goal of The Conn Smythe Corner is to imitate and simulate the management of a real-life NHL hockey Club. While the CSC is not a Dynasty League, the Prospect Draft and accompanying Prospect Pool have been devised as a way of bringing an element normally found in Dynasty Leagues to our Keeper League, in a limited fashion. This is all about investing in players before they have shown any capability of performing at the NHL level – indeed, a majority of the League’s constituents expressed interest or enthusiasm at the idea of introducing the development of Prospects to the CSC. Having to make tough decisions on how long to retain a player, whether to draft someone with less potential total control, whether to use up a spot on someone who had a down year, when to give up on a Prospect by trading or releasing them all figured into the development of these rules. We want GMs to have to sweat these decisions, as their future success can be coloured by how deftly they manage these Prospects. One of the most intriguing things about this new concept is that it works in tandem with The Draft – the best young players will still be drafted by CSC Clubs in The Draft. The likes of Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Nico Hischier, or Nolan Patrick will almost certainly never find their way into the Prospect Draft. It is expected that Clubs will continue to gamble on these world-class prospects in the regular Draft, while the Prospect Draft will involve the second and third class of Prospects who may not be as heralded or as “slam dunk” as those normally taken in the CSC Draft. It is our intention, in fact, that there is ample uncertainty surrounding the success of Prospects in the CSC – real-world prospects are not guaranteed sure things. And so, CSC GMs will be given the great opportunity to evaluate these still-good but not-sure-thing prospects on their own – and decide whether or not to invest in them for the long-term. As far as concepts go, the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool introduce a new element of forecasting and talent evaluation never before seen in the CSC. There is little to go on when drafting these players other than their pre-NHL careers and, when drafting older prospects, minimal experience at the North American pro level. Control over these Prospects is key. A system that forces Clubs to call players up far before they are ready is of no practical use. A system that is designed to nurture talent and to make hard decisions on whether to keep investing in that talent is compelling, and a worthwhile addition to a League that always has an eye to the future. Excitingly, Prospects and Prospect Draft Picks will be a new currency that CSC GMs can use in order to improve their roster – will you choose to call up a Prospect who can still be controlled into the offseason in the middle of the season to help your squad? Or will you hold off and maximize how long you’re able to maintain control over him? Balancing short- and long-term interests is at the heart of the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool, and so being able to trade or acquire Prospects and Prospect Draft Picks is another way for CSC Clubs to conduct trade operations while weighing the present and the future. Risk and reward is the soul of the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool, and I look forward to our constituents finding new, creative ways to build their Clubs into Champions. 3 PROSPECT DRAFT Overview 4 Format • 2 rounds —> 16 picks per round —> 32 prospects selected • Full snaking draft • Takes place after The Draft™ and prior to PTO Draft™ Eligibility Players eligible to be selected in the Prospect Draft: a) were drafted in one of the three most recent NHL Entry Drafts b) have not yet burned the first year of their Entry Level Contract (ELC) c) have not previously been designated as Keepers Previously unqualified Prospects will be eligible to be selected in the Prospect Draft provided they have not burned the first year of their ELC. Generally, an Entry Level Contract is burned when 10+ NHL GP in a single season. Please note that a player having 5 GP and 5 GP in the first and second year of his NHL career does not burn the first year of his ELC. A player must participate in more than 9 games in one season to burn the first year of his ELC, as indicated in the link below. Authority for all ELC matters will be CapFriendly.com, where you may consult a detailed explanation on how NHL ELCs function -> https://www.capfriendly.com/slides Prospects Once an eligible player is drafted by a CSC Club, he is thereby labeled as a “Prospect”. All CSC Clubs hold the rights to a newly drafted Prospect for a minimum of one (1) League Year, without having to Qualify them. A “League Year” is defined as the period between the conclusion of the Annual Drafts and the Keeper Submission Deadline. The “Qualification Deadline” is the last Day that a Club may Qualify a Prospect. This deadline coincides with the Keeper Declaration Deadline at the end of the CSC Offseason. 5 Qualifying Offer • The act of “Qualifying”, or extending a Qualifying Offer, to a Prospect, is the mechanism by which a CSC Club retains the rights to a Prospect at the Qualification Deadline. • Teams submit a list of Prospects that received a Qualifying Offer on the Qualification Deadline at the end of the offseason. • Prospects who do not receive a Qualifying Offer, and are thus not Qualified, are released from the Club following the Qualification Deadline. • Each Club, assuming they have not utilized their Tag on a Group III Prospect, may extend three (3) Qualifying Offers to three (3) Prospects at the Qualification Deadline. By Qualifying these Prospects, the CSC club retains the exclusive rights to the Prospect. • Prospects are not automatically Qualified once they are drafted in the Prospect Draft, nor do they require a Qualification, given they remain the guaranteed property of the Club that first drafted them for at least one (1) League Year following the Prospect Draft • Qualifying Offers are not revocable and unused Qualifying Offers may not be transferred. • Qualified Prospects who are traded following the Qualification Deadline remain Qualified on their new Club. Control CSC Clubs are guaranteed one year of control on a newly-drafted Prospect, even if the Player burns the first year of his ELC in-season. “Year” refers to “League Year” – the period between the conclusion of the Annual Drafts and the Keeper Submission Deadline. Years of total potential control following first Qualification is partially determined by the number of years since the Prospect in question was drafted in the NHL Entry Draft, using the formula 3-x (x = years since drafted in NHL) Total Potential Control = (3 – [Years since NHL Draft]) + Guaranteed Control (1 Year) Table – Potential Control of a Prospect GUARANTEED TOTAL YEARS SINCE CONTROL AFTER CONTROL AFTER POTENTIAL NHL DRAFT QUALIFYING PROSPECT DRAFT CONTROL 0 3 years 1 year 4 years 1 2 years 1 year 3 years 2 1 year 1 year 2 years 6 Total • The total number of “Prospects” held by a Club depends on the number of Prospects that were Qualified by the Club (up to 3) and the number of Prospects – with an attached Qualifying Offer – acquired from another Club prior to the regular season Trade Deadline • These Qualified Prospects make up the “Prospect Pool”, and teams may hold rights to more than 3 Prospects in one of the following ways: 1. Acquire a Prospect and his attached Qualifying Offer in the Regular Season 2. Trade for a Prospect that was Qualified by another Club 3. Declaring a Prospect as a Keeper • A maximum of 48 Prospects will be Qualified in the CSC every League Year. • Group I, II, III, IV Prospects who